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Podcast: Junkyard Dawgcast: A Georgia Bulldogs Football Podcast Episode: Reactions through the halfway point of Georgia spring practice Transcript: [music] >> Welcome in to another episode of the Junkyard Dawg Cast. It's a substitute teacher edition and it's how I'll describe this one. I'm your host Benjamin Wolk. I've got Kip Adams with me and Jordan Hill's on vacation, which means that Kip and I are basically allowed to do whatever we want to do on this episode. We have a lot to get into on the football front when it comes to spring practices. We'll talk some basketball at the end of the show with some roster changes that are continuing to be ongoing with the Georgia basketball program. But, it's the third week of spring practice. We got to meet with Kirby Smart yesterday and we'll get into some of the highlights of what he shared with us during that media availability. But Kip, as we get into more or less week three of spring practices, like what's top of mind for you as you're looking ahead to, you know, basically the halfway point of spring practice as we're getting closer and closer to G-Day? This is when you you should start to see, you know, which side of the ball is dominating position groups dominating. I mean, early on it's it's almost always defense. It's just the way it is. You're installing offense, the defense is usually ahead. But this is when we want to start hearing, you know, um which quarterbacks are getting in the groove, the chemistry, uh you know, which wide receivers are starting to, you know, make life hell for the secondary. And what's going on the line of scrimmage? I mean, that's really every single spring and that's that's really what it you want to know, especially for Georgia. Kirby Smart's never going to shy away from where he thinks battles are won and I think most I mean, football fans usually agree like it's one of the trenches. So you you want to know. And with that, just like fall camp, comes uh you know, all of us overreacting. Like why what's going on with Georgia's defensive line? Why are are we going to go through another season of them just not being in opponents' backfields every week? Why? Why is the offensive line doing so well? Which I mean, if the opposite's true, it would just definitely be like pure panic right now. That's just how it is. So, you got to tell everyone it's a complete stalemate. They're actually just like winning equal number of battles. Every other play is either a sack or a touchdown. And at that point, you just you hope for the best with the fans. So I think that's you just want to know like which players are progressing because this is when like we we talk about it. I think this is when like you make those biggest strides, especially guys that are coming off either their first full year or their first taste of spring football. Like you're making those adjustments and trying to uh you know, uh get your development curve going. So I think just those little tidbits that we hear is often um you know, what you have to go on cuz before you know it, it's going to be over. Like G-Day is going to be around the corner and then you're just like, where's my football fix? What is happening? Like is Georgia going to be a legitimate contender this this season? So, you take every every single note you can get. We put everything we hear on the Junkyard, but I think right now like been pretty impressive what I've heard so far overall from Georgia. I agree. I mean, I think the feedback has been relatively positive, but you I you hit it. Like we're in that window of spring where you learn a lot about how a person that is receiving that news is wired because you're right. Like if you some people hear, oh O-line's doing great or wide receivers are making plays. And some people say, wow, that's great. I'm happy to hear that Talyn Taylor's making big plays in the passing game or it looks like Gunner's really sharp or it looks like Ja Jackson is coming around as a potential tackle option. And you hear those things, you say, wow, that's all positive. And then there's the other 50% of people that hear that and say, why is the defensive front not giving Ja Jackson more problems? Are the DBs just getting beat left and right by Talyn Taylor? Like these are And the again, to be clear, these are just examples of things that we're giving, but the point being, you know, you learn a lot about someone's maybe um emotional even-keelness at this time of year to be able to process one or two tidbits of buzz and say, you know, Kirby Smart I think alluded to it yesterday like sometimes we hear about one rep, two reps, three reps, things that are happening and there's a hundred of those types of reps that are happening during a given practice and they're not getting too caught up in the one or two or three reps. They're looking more at the aggregate of, you know, how things are looking. So, you know, be be emotionally level this time of year is my best piece of advice, but I will also say the feedback that I think we're getting has been resoundingly positive. I think that you can tell just from Kirby Smart's demeanor and interactions during some of his press availability. Like I think he's very confident in the team this year. I think he is very confident about this roster and what they have done early on in spring practice. You know, if if I were to say that to Kirby Smart, he would say, well, no, I'm actually not happy about any of these various things. And if I were to say, why are you not happy about these various things? He would say, well, I'm actually very happy about all of these various things. So, maybe take after Kirby Smart and just kind of, you know, push back against whatever narratives it is that you're hearing, but don't push back too much. Then I go on that spiel about uh even be even-keel this time of year. And now I'm going to dive into some injury updates, which are probably going to send people into a little bit of a panic. That's not the intention here. I think by and large, you know, Kirby Smart said in his introductory or his opening statement yesterday, like want to continue to stay away from the injury bug. I think that they have felt pretty fortunate in terms of how things have gone with injuries, but there have been a couple of players here or there that have either been hobbled or maybe have not been available for certain periods of time. And he was asked about a lot of those types of things yesterday. So we're going to get into kind of everything on the injury front. I'm going to start at quarterback. Jordan Hill mentioned it last week when we were on the show that Gunner is was wearing a knee brace at practices and that if we were in fall camp, maybe this would be cause for concern. But being where it's at in spring practices, it's really not cause for concern, but Kirby Smart was asked about it yesterday. Here's what he had to say about Gunner Stockton. Yeah, he's great. He's practicing. He had a little off-season um uh injury in our workouts. Uh but he's he's fine now. He is limited a little bit first couple days. Um but he's out there competing, doing a good job. Uh focusing on the things he needs to improve on and um competing with these other guys. So I've been really pleased with uh with Gunner. Perhaps a more a bigger area of concern I would say is I end up asking about both of the transfer safeties. You know, you've got Khalee Barnes who has been getting a lot and a lot of positive feedback both as a star and as a safety since coming over from Clemson. But then there's also the other transfer safety from ECU, Ja Marli Riddle, who we haven't heard a as much about and there's a key reason for that. He really hasn't been very available so far this spring. Kirby Smart answers briefly about Khalee Barnes and then gives some more more insight than we've gotten all spring into what is actually going on with Ja Marli Riddle. Yeah, Khalee's been great. He's taking a lot of reps at both safety and star. He's very wise, very knowledgeable, very instinctive. All the things that we we heard about him have been true. Um and Ja Marli's not been able to do much. He's still coming off a significant injury. Um he's doing our walk-throughs. He's in our, you know, mentally in our reps. We've got him miked up, making calls and basically playing the game without playing the game. Um but he hadn't been able to physically do a lot. We'll circle back on some of that Ja Marli Riddle stuff here in a second because I think that that's when we talked about some of these injury-related things, that's probably the one that we you and I are most focused on or curious about what that's going to look like moving forward. But I will add one other injury tidbit that was acknowledged by Kirby Smart and he was asked a pretty open-ended question about Isaiah Canyon and that he has a bunch of high school teammates that have been on the roster and does that help him acclimate to Georgia because he has those high school teammates. But then Kirby Smart also did just call out that he's been dealing with some of his own injury-related things that have kept him out of certain practices as well. Sure, I think it helps have the teammates being from the state, played against a lot of kids in our roster. He's a Georgia kid, so he's been around it. Uh he's dealing with a ankle injury right now. He's he's been uh been out for a day or two. He just sprained an ankle. It's nothing real serious, but he's um dealing with an ankle injury and we'll get him back out there as soon as we can. All right, Kip. That was uh I'll admit, probably you know, Kirby doesn't like to talk about injuries and especially when he gets asked about a few different things. But a couple times he was asked I mean, even when I asked him about Ja Marli Riddle, I think he knew what I was getting at that we were aware that he wasn't practicing, but I mean, he a lot of times pushes back or avoids those types of comments. It didn't feel like he really avoided anything, whether that be Gunner, whether that be Ja Marli Riddle, whether that be Isaiah Canyon. When you look at what he has to say about in the injury front, what are Do you have an area of concern? And I guess specifically on Jamarli Riddle, like how big of a concern do you view it being that a guy that they brought in out of the transfer portal hasn't really been able to go at all so far this spring? Yeah, if you ask Kirby this question 6 months now, it's Jamarli has an ankle. Is all you're going to get and you know, that'd be huge breaking news. Hopefully, he's got two you know, for all intents and purposes, he's going to need those, but I I think again, this isn't news for Georgia or it shouldn't be for fans because his injury occurred in the bowl game. So, before he'd ever even entered the portal, Jamarli Riddle was going to be coming off an injury. So, when you when Georgia went after him in the portal, they made an in-home visit with him instead of him visiting Athens. It told you they knew. Like they were visiting him because he wasn't mobile. He wasn't able to be in Athens. So, they knew what the deal was. I mean, I I I don't know how much medical they are able to get if they did not get him in Athens, but they surely felt confident enough then this guy is going to be who we're going to grab out of the portal for our secondary needs. And so, it this isn't something that, you know, is surprising them or catching them off guard. They knew he was going to be limited in the spring. I don't think this is going to be something that carries off into the summer and I think there's a chance he gets some reps towards the end of spring. The fact that he's just out there and getting reps, though, I thought found it interesting what Kirby said because he said he's basically playing without playing, shows you how important they think he is. I mean, that's basically like giving them a green dot. Like you're having him out there working and and calling plays in the secondary. I I think it just shows you that you know, they know what he's capable of. They're not worried about the injury and I mean, at the safety position, you got Zion Branch out there. This is allowing him to get some extra reps. I think um it's still positive because of what we're hearing with Khlil Barnes. The fact that he's making such a big move at the star position, potentially, you know, making it an easier decision for them as far as like who they're going to play. I mean, you know, obviously, you got Roshad Jenkins returning there as well, but I just think that overall, knowing that it's not something that should go into fall camp, he's out there getting the mental reps. They're getting the install of the playbook. He's getting the important section off there. They've already seen how productive he's been you know, the last couple of seasons at at ECU. So, I think overall, not a big worry uh simply because I think he's going to be able to get the reps. He's learning the system now. Um he's talented enough to where they they expect him to to push if not, you know, start for them probably at the strong safety position next to KJ is where I would put him. So, I think as as long as he gets out there right now, not a big worry. So, I just think that no surprise there. Uh you know, you got several guys that are out there in the spring. They're all still out there getting their you know, the watching practice and knowing what Georgia's trying to do. It it's better that they have him out there than, you know, waiting for him to arrive later this summer. Yeah, completely agreed. And just looking at all three of those players that Kirby was talking about injury-related items for. I mean, I I agree with you completely on the Jamarli Riddle thing. Maybe not the sharpest move by whoever decided to take him in the second round of the spring breakouts draft knowing that he probably wasn't going to be able to go for the first few weeks, but I don't I can't remember who it was that did that, but whoever did that, silly decision by them. But, to your point, I think it says a lot about what their vision is for him. Maybe more of a fall breakout, fall camp draft selection than a spring breakout. So, lesson learned there. Um but, I think that it says a lot that because he's not able to do anything physically, he's not really participating, but he said Kirby Smart says like we're look we're seeing how he makes calls, getting him familiar with making those calls on the back end. Like to your point, I think this guy is very was very much brought in to have a real chance to be the starting safety alongside KJ Bolden. And the fact that the injury didn't deter them from having that view of him probably only reinforces even more what they expect from him in that spot. On the Gunner Stockton side of things, I really think it's a non-issue, which I probably shouldn't have led with Gunner Stockton because people are going to freak out and say why why were you leading with Gunner Stockton on the injury front, but I think, you know, he had a knee brace at practice. People were raising questions about it. He's moving just fine. He like Kirby Smart said, he suffered something relatively minor during off-season workouts and so, it's more precautionary than anything. I really don't see it as an area of concern. And with Isaiah Canyon, I'm going to I don't I'll be honest with you. I don't know whether it is a high ankle sprain or a regular ankle sprain based on what I've heard about the severity of it. I would assume I would lean more towards it being a regular ankle than a high ankle, but Kirby Smart did say high ankle when he was asked about it yesterday. Does that mean that it was 100% a high ankle? Sometimes Kirby Smart just starts naming body parts when he's up there at the press conference. So, I'm not 100% sure on that, but the silver lining that I'm going to draw from the Isaiah Canyon thing is he's the only transfer portal receiver that they brought in. Maybe you would like him to be able to acclimate as much as possible during spring practices, but you also have a lot of young guys like CJ Wiley and others that I think you want to be able to get as many reps as possible. And this is their first real spring where I mean, you look at a guy like CJ Wiley last year, you got Colby Young in front of him, you've got Noah Thomas in front of him. There's not a a bunch of snaps and reps to go around for a guy like that. I think it's a great opportunity for spring for a guy like CJ Wiley and others. I shouldn't say just him, but I think he's someone that fits that mold of what they try and do at that position. He's going to get a lot more reps over these few days while Isaiah Canyon recovers from what he's dealing with. So, I think you can take positives there. Um I would Do you have concerns in any shape, way, shape, or form with anyone other than Jamarli Riddle really, Kip? Well, I mean, with Isaiah, obviously, you want to get that chemistry going, but the the benefit of of the position he plays is Gunner can throw to him at any time. I mean, like whenever he's back all off-season, all summer, like those guys can get out there and throw the football around. And so, they're going to have those chances and you have an experienced wide receiver. He's going to be a plug-and-play guy. Uh I think the the good thing I'm hearing is that Gunner got back out there and has put on a strong performance. We were talking on the last pod about, you know, Rob Montgomery looking really good. Uh who's going to be that backup quarterback between him and Puglisi. But, what you really want to hear in the spring is Gunner got back out there and left no question who the best quarterback is for Georgia right now. And that's really what you want this spring. Like him taking that next step. Laying the football. Like making throws down the field. Uh you know, the adjustments he's made this off-season, it seems like um has allowed him to I think make more accurate throws down field and even more so, like uh avoid those tipped passes at the line of scrimmage. I mean, that was one of those things where it's you it seemed like one out of every eight balls that was, you know, actually passed on the scrimmage was was getting batted at the line of scrimmage. So, he's improved in that area and now has more confidence throwing the ball down the field. I mean, that's the part of the the offense you you got to unlock. And it's up to him. And I think hearing everything is he's already strung together impressive practices. He's already looking like the guy for Georgia. Uh you can't hear any better news out of spring football than the fact that Gunner Stockton's out there looking outstanding. Completely agreed. And I think we've mentioned it already at the start of the show. Like there has been optimism, I would say, but a lot of eyeballs on the offensive line group so far to start spring practice. I think a lot of that has to do with you're losing Monroe Freeling. So, what does it look like tackle opposite of Earnest Greene? You don't have Drew Bobo out there for the spring. And what does the center position sort of look like behind him as well? I mean, I think everyone would say they hope that nobody really has to find out what does center look like behind Drew Bobo once the season comes, but knowing that he did suffer a a season-ending injury at the end of last year, like you've got to know what do you have behind him? Going to give everybody another, you know, bunches of Kirby Smart commentary because he was asked a bunch about the offensive line. And I'll start with he was kind of just asked generally, you got a lot of guys competing. Who's standing out? What are you seeing from the offensive line? And in typical Kirby Smart fashion, he kind of gave a non-answer answer where he didn't mention anyone specifically, but he did talk more generally just about what he's seeing from that group so far this year. Well, it's a great competition. I mean, you look across the board, we're we're getting uh three groups, 15 guys, a lot of reps. Sometimes we we we we rotate some other guys in there and everybody's at a different spot, you know. We talk about it all the time, you know. Your race here is not a sprint, it's a marathon. And uh each group has things they got to work on, each player does. And the guys are developing those positions. They're working hard. We're changing up groups. You know, we got three, four guys rolling in at center. Um probably seven, eight guys rolling in at guard. And six or seven guys rolling in at tackle. All competing for time and reps. And I'm pleased with that group. I mean, nobody really sticks out. It's They're all working hard. And they need to because that's an area that we have to improve in. And you gain depth through these practices. So, I'm really pleased with the the energy and effort they've that they've done They've done a good job. We're challenging them to cover down a little better and run by and pursue the ball better. But they've had good good energy at practice. There you have it. Nobody really sticks out. So, you know what naturally is going to happen. He's going to get asked about some specific guys that people want to hear a little bit more about. And someone that a couple guys, in fact, that we've heard some spring buzz on. Zakai Helton, which we'll get the pronunciation right. I'm sure we've said Zay Key a million times on this show. So, thank you to Kirby Smart for correcting the masses. I'm sure Kirby's gotten it wrong himself plenty times as well. But Zakai Helton is an incoming freshman that it feels like his name comes up anytime that you are talking to anybody about new faces that are making an impact on the offensive line. And then a name that is fascinating. We talked about him at length last week. But Ja Jackson, the 6-foot-10 offensive tackle that comes in very raw, but seems to be coming into his own now that he is had time in the program. Kirby Smart was asked specifically about each of those guys and some of that spring buzz that has emerged around both of them. Yeah, I'll correct you like you did me. It's Zaxby's. Um Z is a lot easier way of saying it. You know, basically sticking with him was easy because he was a high-character, high-effort, great program high school program he played in. What he put on tape spoke volumes. So, um it was, you [snorts] know, it was concerned of everybody when he was lower on his weight. I don't think anybody would tell you not truthfully that they weren't worried about it. But we've also seen kids be very successful here with chromes and and and do things right and control their weight once they had a a management plan. And he put that in place. And he also put a lot of really hard work on tape. Um and and he he came to camps. I mean, he just he's a worker. He's tough. He He practices hard. He's a bright kid to be around. He loves practice every day. He's always smiling. He's a joy to be around. And just have a lot of respect for what he's been through as a kid to grow and and mature. And he's seen some things people haven't seen. And he's he's, you know, hopefully going to be able to help us when he's fully developed and ready to go. Um Ja has been working really hard this spring, playing both tackle spots. Um you know, he's When he got here, he was a a work in progress. He was a size potential guy. But you know, you don't just go play tackle and walk out there and be natural at it, especially when you didn't play for four years of high school. And so, he's he's had to condition himself. He's had to callous himself in terms of contact toughness. Um it's a very physical position, a physical game. And then knowledge and and understanding our scheme and where his help is. He's gotten better at that. And then before before I get your thoughts on all this, Kip, he also answers a question about the center position, which I asked I think it was Gunner Stockton earlier in the spring trying to get a feel for like what does center look like behind now that Drew Bobo's not going to be there this spring. And Gunner Stockton is Kirby Smart's dream come true. He basically said nothing about it. But Kirby was asked directly about the center position and what that looked like this spring. He didn't necessarily give any tell in terms of who's going to be first team center come G-Day, whether it's Cortez Smith, whether it's Malachi Toliver, whether it's someone else. But he did give some more insights into what the center position has looked like this spring with Drew Bobo out. Yeah, Malachi got a lot of reps last year, so did Cortez. Cortez dealt with some injuries. Malachi dealt with some injuries. They both battled back. Um they both did a good job this spring. You know, Warren Ericson working in there. Zaxby's worked in there. We got a lot of guys working. You can't have enough centers. Um in terms of being able to snap the ball, communicate. Beat there works in there. So, um you know, we're developing those guys. They also are repping at guard because you can't be a one position guy. And they're getting work at at all positions. All right. So, comprehensive outlook on the offensive line from Kirby Smart. He's talking about a lot of what we said last week where like when we're out at practice, we probably shouldn't read too much into the rotations because they really are going 15 deep on the offensive line right now. And they're working some different things at guard, working some different things at tackle. We know that the center position isn't necessarily going to look this spring like it's going to look come fall. But I'm curious I'm going to change the direction a little bit that I go when I ask you this, Kip. Is when you're looking at the offensive line right now and there's so much chatter about all these various different things, what to you is most important for Georgia to figure out on the offensive line and just based on what you've heard behind the scenes, like what is Georgia's progress in that area at this stage in the spring practice? Depth. I mean, you just mentioned it earlier. I mean, Georgia's not going to go through the season with the same five starting offensive linemen. In fact, last season we we went what, the first six, seven games where it was a different lineup every time, right? That's the expectation, especially playing in the SEC. Nine conference games now. I mean, you're you're going to get even more beat up. So, I think having a two-deep that you feel comfortable with and knowing that you're going to have to go into that three-deep at times during the season. Um I I think this is when you you have to learn the most about your roster. There's no more spring portal. This is it. This is who you got. So, you roll out there as much as you can and and make sure that as these guys are drinking from the water hose, you figure out on your end like these are the guys that we can trust. And honestly, the offensive line I think has been probably where I've heard the most praise this spring. And the guys that we that Kirby just talked about, like Ja Jackson. I love the comment from him. Calousing himself. Learning how to callous himself. That's that's a great term. Like this is a guy who was playing overtime basketball. And I'm a huge basketball fan. No offense to those guys. They are non-stop cardio. I think the football team would probably be doing a lot more puking if they were over there trying to, you know, help out you know, Coach White. But at the same time, like getting down there in the trenches and going against Georgia's defensive line and their their edge guys every day in practice, yeah, like he's learning to play a physical game. But we're also hearing he's learning to play a physical game. Like the reason why you take a guy like that is because a 6-10, 300-pound offensive tackle, even when he messes up, he's got such outstanding length to where he's able to recover and still be a menace in pass protection. That is a rare skill set. So, I think hearing that he is like adjusting now and going to be able to help them in a big way as probably easily the biggest snub of our spring breakouts draft now, Ja Jackson, that is outstanding news for Georgia. Because yeah, Earnest Greene, as long as he's healthy, lock and load him in. And I think Warren McClendon, he's either going to be playing right guard or right tackle. He's going to play both probably. You like that. But if you have a guy like Ja Jackson in there as well that you can you can count on, I think it just it just makes everything life a lot easier for for you know, the coaching staff. And Cortez Smith, like I think if he were healthy last season, he would have been the one starting for Georgia in the post season. So, I don't think it's a huge surprise hearing maybe he's getting more reps with the ones in the spring because everything we heard last fall was that he was doing really well. They were really impressed by him. Um and but then he got banged up. Now he's got an opportunity to to showcase like, yeah, I was still in line to maybe be the the guy playing at, you know, in the SEC championship in in the college football playoffs. So, I think it's it's good to have depth there. Him and Malachi Toliver, like having both of those guys cuz for me, maybe the like a top two, three storyline for Georgia right now is Drew Bobo. Like that was a serious injury. Like that's one of the bigger question marks. Will he be ready for week one? That's the goal. But I would not lock that in. So, you got to think about, okay, can we get him ready for SEC play? That's probably like I mean, a more maybe I'm not going to say realistic, but that's that could be where things are headed. So, you might have to have both those centers locked and loaded for the first games of the season. So, that that is a huge storyline for Georgia moving forward. And then I think overall just hearing that the offensive line's doing well um shouldn't be a shock. I just think this group is is really talented. A lot of people kind of cast a lot of doubt on these guys. But that's an annual practice for Georgia, right? Like when Stacy Searles was the head coach, it was like, what's this guy doing here? You know, and then okay, now we're just sending guys to the NFL draft. We're about to have Amarius Mims Freeling possibly a top-10 pick. I think uh stop doubting Georgia's offensive line. Maybe maybe they are capable of playing. Maybe he did build some pretty solid depth. So, I I just think overall, hearing that this unit is is really impressive this spring, best possible news for Georgia, but shouldn't be a huge surprise. It's a great point you bring up. Like, I I don't think some folks have fully understood the significance of Drew Bobo's injury that he suffered last season. And like, week one is not a guarantee for Drew Bobo. I do think that he Like, if week one was you're playing on the road at Ohio State, he's probably finding a way. But because of the early season schedule that Georgia has, like, eyeing the start of SEC play might be the safer approach. And so, yeah, that whether it's Cortez Smith, whether it's Malachi Toliver. He Kirby Smart mentions Zikai Helton. And the more The more we mention Here's Zikai Helton. And when Zikai Helton committed to Georgia, it was with the thought of like this guy might be the center of the future for Georgia. And so, yeah, like I That competition this spring might mean more come week one, week two than we might realize. I'll also say Jaquavious Jackson snub from the spring breakouts. Um Isaiah Canyon snub from the spring breakouts, even though he's got the ankle injury going. I mean, the The team that wasn't selected might be giving all of our teams a run for its money in some respects, though. I still think you and Jordan ran circles around me in that draft this time around. I don't admit that very often, but I had someone when I was out at press conferences Someone that I won't name him cuz I don't want to I don't want people in the building to know that they listen to our show, but someone said I'm about halfway through spring breakouts uh podcast draft. And I was like, you don't need to listen to the rest of it. I'm pretty sure I lost that one. I don't feel great about that one. That was like 48 hours after the draft. So, um I think you and you and Jordan got me there, but we're going to take a quick break. When we come back, we got a little bit more of Kirby Smart, fun little Kirby Smart mic moment that I'm sure many folks have seen. And then, we're going to talk some Georgia basketball. There's been some moving and shaking to the roster. So, in the spirit of Jordan Hill while he's away, we will give you a Georgia men's basketball minute when we return. >> [music] [music] >> All right, Kip. I've said it plenty of times. Like, I I wish we got to see more practice so that we could give more insights into what we see from practice. We all We all know that. So, we're doing We're operating more on what we hear from practice and what our sources are telling us about practice and things that we're getting to visualize with our own eyes. But the number one reason that I'm bombed that we don't get more practice is just because I would sit there and just transcribe and video audio everything that Kirby Smart ever says on the microphone because I really think it is some of the best stand-up entertainment that you're going to be able to get, you know, in a 50-mile radius around here. Like, it it is truly funny. And I know that when he you are Jordan Hill knows this better than anyone. Sometimes when you're the butt of the joke on the microphone, it's not as fun. It's never happened to me personally, so I can't speak to that exactly, but it is funny to listen to the things that Kirby Smart has to say. And we know that Kirby Smart has plenty of viral moments to go around from practices or pregame speeches. And there was one that happened last week when Auburn edge transfer outside linebacker transfer Amarius Williams, you know, we don't get to see the play. So, we don't know exactly what happened. But I think that the imagery that Kirby Smart gives us on the microphone allows you to kind of have an idea of what might have gone on. So, I'm going to play the clip. If you missed it, if you missed it, I don't know you've you've been living under a rock. Unbelievable clip. I'm going to play the clip of Kirby Smart at the practice. And then, he also had an opportunity to kind of give the other side of the story as well. But here's that clip from Amarius Williams on Elias Williams at LAST WEEK'S PRACTICE. ELIAS DESTROYED AMARIUS. ELIAS JUST destroyed Amarius. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Please don't put him in against the run. Please don't put him in against run. Oh my god. Oh my god. Q I I'm upset that that clip gets cut off when he says Q because I know that he's going to Quintavious Johnson. And just you I'm sure it's one of Kirby Smart's favorite things to do, using a veteran player or using a position coach to roast the a veteran player or the position coach to have them coach up whatever player is not doing something the way that they're supposed to be doing it. Um I do want to, you know, give Amarius Williams a little We don't get to see the play. It The number of people that are getting roasted by Kirby Smart on the mic, I mean, you could list out every single player. So, this is the one that goes viral and everybody hears, but I don't think that Amarius Williams should be under any kind of spotlight and just because Kirby Smart says don't put him in against the run, I don't think that means that you should expect him to never be playing on run downs it it this next season. But Kirby Smart, I think was able to you know, maybe give Amarius Williams a little bit of grace once he was able to throw on the tape and see what actually happened on that play. Yeah, I don't really worry about it much. I did I saw it. Most people sent it to me, but it's not something that we put out. It's something somebody else captured and put out. So, I don't I don't worry about it. You know, we don't [snorts] practice indoors. You know, I don't worry about what other people think about our practices and what they do. I mean, I'll say this that that play in particular, he actually slipped and stepped on somebody's foot. So, that's probably not a fair assessment of him because when you step on somebody's foot and slip, you know, sometimes you get your ass whipped. And then, sometimes you just slip. And you're not allowed to slip. But it wasn't as bad as it seemed, certainly, but I don't worry about it because uh you know, we There's a certain level of toughness that requires to play football. And that's all for you guys to worry about. Y'all like to capture things and put them out and make them a big deal. We We do this every day. So, Well, here we are, capturing things, putting them out, making them a big deal. Look, I I love these clips. I could watch Kirby Smart roasting someone on the mic clips all day long. Like, I it's Like I said, it's the most disappointing part about our practice access. It's like I just would love to hear those types of things. He's obviously not making a huge deal out of the individual play itself. But Kip, I mean, another amazing Kirby Smart microphone moment that we got to receive. Oh my god. >> [snorts] >> That I mean, just hearing him say that. Like, just clip that out and keep that for, you know, any big play moving forward. Um Yeah, he's a gem. Like, it's just That's why he's a beloved head coach. I mean, like, the perfect coach for Georgia is that he's out there doing that all the time. All the players say that. And I mean, I believe him. I don't think he's just uh you know, defending um I I think Amarius like he's been impressive for them. He's been who they needed, who they wanted him to be. But um at the same time, like, Elias Williams has been that dude this spring. Like, uh that tight end room is getting tougher and tougher to get snaps. And you want to hear that. You want to hear a I mean, like, that is one of those guys where you want to hear from Kirby Smart that uh Elias Williams is out there embarrassing guys. If you make one wrong small move and and he he gets you. I think he's probably gotten a lot of guys this spring. Which again, that's a good thing. Like, that guy has a bright future. Everyone is like, when's this guy going to get in the field? Look at him. He just You know, he's another Darnell Washington type player. Like, get him out there. And you're like, guys, they got like I mean, Todd Hartley's got like 17 tight ends in that room. He's got to get on the field. But yeah, like, you get a guy like Elias Williams out there. And it just allows you to do so many different things. Um but I I I think the clip's great. Uh we're never going to get enough things leaked. I'm glad that somebody is out there to capture the the those media so that us the the media can run away with it and then have Kirby saying that's for what you guys like to worry about because it is. Like, you're more than welcome to open practice to us, you know. We'll go out there and capture everything and and get all the proper context, won't mess anything up, and and see exactly how things actually are. Or you can close practice off. Somebody can walk by, grab a viral clip of you, and we can all laugh and enjoy it. And you can keep talking about us people. Which that's fine. Either way, we win. So, yeah, that was a great clip. Uh but to whoever walked by and grabbed it, thank you. Keep doing it. Uh don't, you know, keep going to school. Um you know, Sebastian, my son, if you're listening to this, if you're walking by practice, you grab a clip, send it to me, uh, you know, that'll be great as well. But, those are huge, like especially in the spring. Like, in the fall, everyone's like, we got to go 12 and 0. Uh, every little thing matters. Uh, right now, it's like, you you can laugh, you can enjoy it. I'm sure he did, too. Um, but, I mean, he knows who he is. He does this all the time. Like, he's probably doing it to somebody right now. So, hopefully we'll get to listen to it later on this week. Yeah, like I said earlier, it's like we're in the time of year where you you learn a lot about someone based on how they perceive something. Like, you're either a positive or negative person, generally. So, some people listen to that clip and they said, "My goodness, Elias Williams is going to be a freak of nature and nobody wants to mess with him." And then, on the flip side of that, people are saying, "How do you bring this guy out of the transfer portal? He's known as a pass rusher. Is he going to be a liability in the run game?" I think as Kirby Smart made very clear, anybody that's reading too much into what was happening on that play is way overthinking it. It's just a funny clip. It's a good clip. And these guys are getting good coaching, uh, in Athens. I mean, Kirby Smart on the mic, you're not getting much better than that. If we need any other proof that Jordan's on vacation and that this is an unserious episode, Kip, I'm taking us in the most unserious direction that this show has gone, probably. Um, I'm sure we've probably gone pretty unserious in certain other ways, but, um, you're you're a dog owner, correct, Kip? I am. I have two shih tzus. All right. And then, our guy Jordan sends out Maya Monday every single Monday as well. So, we know that he's a proud dog owner. Well, for those that don't know, Georgia running back Nate Frazier, we did get to talk to players yesterday. We got Elijah Griffin for the first time. I thought he was great. Uh, we got Chauncey Bowens, who talked a lot about his number change and what Robert Edwards has brought to the running back room. Nate Frazier answered some of that as well. But, I thought that the most news item of the entire thing was when Nate Frazier is asked about becoming a dog owner this offseason and what it's been like acclimating to owning a dog while you're also in the middle of Georgia spring practice. And I think that he's maybe learned the hard way that being a dog owner is not I mean, Kip, credit to you. Credit to Jordan. Like, the work that y'all are putting in. Nate Frazier says first hand, you know, it's sometimes harder than spring practices, even. It's tough, man. It's not easy under no circumstances. He pees everywhere. He poos everywhere. I see other people have their dogs on their couches, on their beds. And I'm like, "Hmm, he used the restroom. He ate his food. Let me give him a chance to get on my bed and, you know, not make him feel like I don't love him." So, I let him get on my bed. I see he used the restroom. He peed on his pads. I pick up the pads he ate about 2 hours ago. I feel like there's no reason why he should have to use the restroom. I put him on my bed. He pees on the bed. I put him down. And I tried again. He pees again. So, I'm like, "You know what? I'm just done. I'm over it." It's not as easy as it look being a dog dad, especially, you know, being here doing football things and trying to maintain all the things I other things I got going on. It's not easy, but, man, he keeps me he keeps me up and going, for sure. Um, one, go watch Nate Frazier interviews. Like, we have it over at our Dogs 24/7 YouTube channel. If you're watching it there, he is just a fun guy to talk to. He has an incredible passion about him. You can see why he was a leader on the offense from the moment that he stepped foot on campus. Uh, but, Kip, any any words of advice, maybe, for Nate? I don't know if you've got any spring practice advice, how you manage time management of spring practice while also raising a dog, but anything to help the running back one in Athens? Don't own nice furniture if you're going to be a pet owner. Uh, hearing him and then thinking about what pets do and then where we allow them to be, you know, um, we don't most owners don't put clothes in their their pets. So, that is something that comes along with it is if you're going to own a cat or dog, um, they are just going to be on the things. Even if they're not peeing or pooping on the furniture, they have peed and pooped recently. And that's just part of it. So, you know, hearing Nate, um, responsibility, like, they grow up so fast. Hearing, you know, owning a pet that that that gets you there real quick. I mean, you have to learn about, um, all you know, what it takes to be responsible for another, you know, creature's well-being. I mean, that's That is that's important stuff. And I I think for a running back who used to have, you know, that had fumbling issues for a while, I just hearing him that, you know, his personal development now, having a dog and having to think about worrying about that is, uh, you know, it's refreshing as as an old man here listening to like, he's like five generations, you know, beyond me. And and him, uh, worrying about um, his his dog peeing on his bed is, uh, there, you know, football players are people, too. That was just one of those moments. And, uh, yeah, I mean, unless you're going to be that guy that puts diapers on your dog, and I am not suggesting that at all, you are going to have a dog that, you know, either pees or recently peed being on your furniture. So, if you can live with that, uh, then sign up for it, because owning a dog is amazing. Um, owning a pet is amazing. Um, it's a commitment. And, you know, him being committed to that, I think that's great. And hopefully, uh, that dog gets trained and and you know, he he moves on from that, uh, before the season. You don't want Nate Frazier worrying about his dog, uh, peeing on his bed, you know, in October. So, let's get that out of the way now. And, you know, by the time, you know, fall rolls around, that dog will be ready to roll. And, um, you know, and Nate will be worried about other things. Yeah, tying it back into our previous conversation on Kirby Smart on the mic. I'm sure Kirby Smart will have heard that interview that Nate Frazier gave and will be on the mic today saying, or at the next practice on Thursday, saying, "Nate, you better get that dog potty trained, because we can't have we can't afford to have this the Friday before Ole Miss. Like, you got to be you you got to get this dog in check by the time football season comes around." And I think that, you know, Kirby Smart's coaching will help Nate Frazier get Dane, I believe is the name of the dog, where he needs to be by the time the fall gets here. All right, we cannot get out of here. Jordan might not be here. He in typical Jordan fashion, the dude just can't stay away from work. He's in the comments section. He's you know, drinks are on the house down there. He's probably three Shirley Temples deep down in Cancun right now. But, in honor of Jordan Hill not being here, we got to talk some Georgia basketball. And there's been it's almost like the Georgia basketball team waited for Jordan to go on vacation so that we could save this men's basketball minute Jordan free while we talk about a lot of the roster changes that are going on. I don't think there's anything that was wildly surprising. But, on the moving out front, two guys that have announced that they are transferring out of the basketball program are starting guard, well, sixth man and starting guard, I guess, depending on which point in the season you're talking about, Jeremiah Wilkinson, leading scorer from last season. And then, Frank Anselem, the big man who signed with Georgia out of high school, played 2 years in Athens. He will also be going and playing somewhere else for the '26-'27 basketball season. Those are two guys that I don't think there's a ton of surprise. I mean, I was pretty blunt and straight forward about it on the last episode when we were talking about it. But, Kip, just what are your impressions of it becoming official that those two guys are exiting the Georgia basketball program? Mhm. That's college basketball. I think, again, I same thing with dealt dealt with la- last season as well. You know, you're going to have some of your top guys where the the fit isn't what you they they both of you guys, uh, preferred. And that's fine. Like, the way the portal's designed is that, you know, you can revamp your roster. And most college basketball teams do. I mean, they they revamp their roster every offseason. And this sport, you can be competitive doing that. It's built that way. You can go get you a a tournament team like every single season. Um, it's not cheap. Uh, but, I think for for Georgia, I mean, these these are guys that played pivotal roles for Georgia last season, for better or worse. When Frank Anselem was on, he was on. I mean, yeah, the dude can do two things really well. I mean, he blocks shots and he dunks. Um, and you know what? That can help with rim protection, but it also, I mean, leads you to a kind of a one-dimensional offense where, uh, you're not having a guy who can't go out there and switch defend. You're not having spacing out there. Um, but, at the same time, like, center was a need when you had Frank Anselem. Now that Frank Anselem's gone, yeah, you got to I mean, you either have to have roster development from, you know, Jackson McVay, assuming he stays, you you need to go and get another center from the portal. But, I think it's an opportunity. I think it's an opportunity to get a guy that can actually give you a little bit more, you know, diverse skill set. So, I I think overall, even though former top 50 recruit, really talented player. Um when he was on the court, when he was not, you know, getting flagrant fouls or, you know, getting out there and and and, you know, being more physical than he needed to be. Uh you know, I I think he's going to go help somebody, but I still think for for Georgia nothing wrong with that. And then, yeah, I mean, we knew Jeremiah Wilkinson was probably going to be leaving as well. I've been pretty vocal where I think that skill set can be replaced. Guys that are willing to shoot a lot of shots, regardless of whether it's contested or you should shoot it. Um the you can get at scoring guards out there. Preferably someone who can be a little bit more efficient with the basketball. Preferably someone who has a little bit more length, who can defend more. Um go Yeah, I mean, you can go get a small school guy. Uh just like you've done every single offseason, it seems like. Go get your portal guy, but I mean, bringing back somebody like Smurf Millender was equally big news for Georgia. He's your leader your assist leader. He's a guy that I think, because of his size and tournament play, teams can't attack that. But still, having a guy who takes care of the basketball, who makes smart shots, like he knows which shots are high percentage for him and what and when to actually dish the ball out. I I think that was a huge uh for Georgia at the point guard position. Now, they can grab another guard from the portal and feel pretty good about that. We've said it all along, like Kanaan Kitching's is the guy you have to be focused on keeping. Um you know, whether or not Blue Cain comes back, that it's a big hole if you have to replace him, but maybe you do. You know, but I think Kanaan Kitching's, Jake Wilkins, those are the guys he, you know, you want those guys to return and continue developing your system, but just because of the upside. Like you it's all the guys you bring back are the guys you think can take another step next season. And those are the those are those high upside guys that can do that. The other guys have specific skill sets that I think you can go into the portal and you can replace those guys. I agree, and I know that for the folks that are down on Mike White, down on the basketball program, they're feeling they're still hurt from the way things went against Saint Louis. You're going to see Jeremiah Wilkinson hit the portal. You're going to see Somto Cyril hit the portal. And you're going to use that as ammunition for an explanation why the Georgia basketball program is just not where it needs to be or where it's not going to be able to get to where they want it to be. I genuinely believe this, Kip, that if Georgia's basketball decision makers felt that Jeremiah Wilkinson or Somto Cyril was the deciding factor between the success that they felt they were going to be able to have next season, they would find a way financially to make sure that they were re-signing those two players. I think that what you have to do is you have to make a calculated decision based on what the market for those players is and what you need to do from an entire roster building standpoint to get to a point where you're not losing by 25 points in the first round of the play of the tournament. And so, I think that Georgia made a conscious decision. And people get so annoyed by me when I say this so often. I I talk about it on the board with Kirby Smart when he lets a high school outside linebacker go somewhere else or a high school offensive tackle go somewhere else because they're getting paid 1.5 million dollars when he was only trying to pay them 400,000 dollars and the gap is just too high. It's like if Kirby Smart felt that that player was the difference between Georgia being able to rush the passer or protect the quarterback and that the team would fall flat on its face without that player, he would find a way to pay that player what their asking price was. He firmly believes in only giving good deals to guys based on what their actual role and productivity is going to be in each of their respective seasons. I know it's a lot easier to convince people about Kirby Smart's decision making than Mike White's just because of the success that you've seen from the football program compared to the basketball program, but somehow Georgia sees Asa Newell go to the NBA draft, which you were never going to be able to avoid that. And then, Silas Demary, they had to make a difficult decision last year, where it's like they know that Silas is a good player. They know that he has the ability to go to a UConn and play a key role on a team that's making a run to the Final Four, but they can't make their decisions based on what is UConn able to do and what is Silas Demary going to do for UConn. They have to make their decisions on if Silas Demary stays at X price point, how do you build the roster around Silas Demary? And if you let him walk, what can you do to add certain players to your roster that allow you to win more games in the regular season than they won the previous year, that allow you to get a higher seed in the NCAA tournament than you got the previous year. I think that a very similar approach is going to be taken when it comes to replacing Jeremiah Wilkinson, who I think you aptly say, like yeah, he was the leading scorer, but can you find someone that is a more efficient scorer than him that's going to be cheaper than him next year that allows you to have depth behind him, that allows you to go get a center that maybe is a little bit more reliable from an availability standpoint than Somto Cyril was. Like I think those are all of the decisions that they were having to make. And no, I'm not sitting here saying that they are perfect and that they are impervious to making decisions that aren't going to send the program in the right direction, but I do think they know their personnel really well and they decided Kanaan Kitching's is the guy that they have to hold on to. Now, as we sit here today, Kanaan Kitching's has not announced that he's returning to Georgia for next season. It is not guaranteed that he's going to be on Georgia's roster for next season, but he is the one that Georgia looks at and says, "You've got to hold on to this guy and then retain as much as you can and then bring some other guys into the transfer portal." And look, let's just get ahead of this one. Jeremiah Wilkinson comes in as a transfer from Georgia. He's transferred a couple times throughout his career. He transfers to Georgia and is Georgia's leading scorer and now he's hitting the portal. Chances are, if Georgia brings in a guy at an affordable rate from somewhere else this offseason that has extra years of eligibility and he goes crazy for Georgia this season, there's a good likelihood that we're having this same conversation about that player 12 months from now, because that's just the nature of college basketball and the transfer portal and how you build your roster nowadays, especially at a place like Georgia where like Georgia doesn't have as much money to operate with with its basketball program as some of these Big East schools do, because these Big East East schools aren't funding 30 million plus dollar football rosters. And so, you have to pick your battles and I think that chances are Georgia's going to go to the portal, find two or three guys that are going to replace Jeremiah Wilkinson's scoring, that are going to replace Somto Cyril's defensive presence in the post as well as his ability to play above the rim on offense. They're going to find multiple guys to replace that. And if those guys play well, you're probably going to have to replace that a year from now as well, because those guys will have played their way into a 1.5, 2 million dollar contract at a Big East school or maybe one of these ACC or Big 12 schools that puts as much money towards basketball as they do towards football. That's just the way of the world, but Jeremiah Wilkinson and Somto Cyril hitting the portal is not all of a sudden the sign, like, "Oh, you were right. The Georgia basketball program is falling flat on its face." That is certainly not the case. You did call that out when we were talking about it as well. Smurf Millender did announce that he is returning for his final season at Georgia as well. I think there's a couple players, Blue Cain, Jake Wilkins, that Georgia would like to retain as long as the market doesn't get crazy in the transfer portal, but Kanaan Kitching's is the one that I do think Georgia will be willing to go above and beyond in order to find a way to keep on the roster for the 2026 2027 season. And you have to remember, like that blowout loss to Gonzaga a couple years ago, you mentioned Silas Demary, he went three of 14 in that game. And then also, another starter left. RJ Godfrey. They had two starters in that game that went to the portal. RJ went back to Clemson. And people had the same thought, like, "Two Georgia starters are gone. Like, what are they going to do?" And I mean, they improved their record. Like, they improved, regardless of what happened in the first round. Like, Georgia had a better season last season than the year before. Losing two starters. So, it's not like Georgia can't go get RJ Johnson from Kennesaw State to replace Jeremiah Wilkinson. They can't get, you know, Connie Roof, the guy they recruited out of high school out of the portal from Louisville. And then, boom. Now, you're cooking. Like, you got your guys. You can go with that rotation. Find another, you know, another big from the portal. Uh bring in, you know, a high school guy as well. And uh you know, whether it's point guard or whatever and and roll with those guys. So, I think again, this the sport of college basketball with the portal, it's designed for you you you you can reload as many times as you need to. It's just the way it is. And I just think those guys leaving, um it it that's just standard operating procedure overall. And I think Georgia will be fine. They will find guys that can play important roles for them next season. And yeah, I know that the fans only are worried about tournament wins, um but I do think that they're perfectly capable of replacing those guys and being talented enough to get back into the tournament, which is the only important part of this. So, I don't really think anything of of their departure. You can focus on who's coming back. Right now, you got Smurf Millender back. So, you got your you know, your leading assist guy from last season, a guy that whether he's the sixth man or if he's starting, you know the kind of basketball you're going to get from him. And I I think that's the positive. Like for for Mike White is, you know, that you have that guy, he brings in a solid floor. He might not have the highest ceiling, but I think overall like stability from him is as good as it gets. Completely agree. The sky is not falling on Georgia basketball despite what people are suggesting. The sky is also not falling at Dogs 24/7 just cuz Jordan Hill is on vacation. Kip, uh bias, great episode. Don't tell Jordan's not going to have listened to this far into it. He He wanted to get his shine when he gave his comment in the YouTube section earlier. He wanted us to talk about Georgia basketball, but he's not going to hear this part. This was one of my favorite episodes that we've done so far this year, Kip. So, um yeah, Jordan, I do hope that you are enjoying your vacation, Kip. I appreciate you for jumping on with me to talk about spring practice, talk about some of the transfer portal with basketball. I will say before we go, please subscribe to dogs247.com. It's a great time of year. We're about to be into I mean, we've got the spring game is coming up in 17 days. We're going to have G-Day. It's going to be big cuz it'll be one of the first times that we're able to just sit there and watch a full Georgia spring practice, more or less. So, subscribe for everything that we're going to have there on the recruiting front, visitors on visitors on visitors over these next few weeks. And then before you know it, it's going to be summer official visit season and we're going to have every single weekend coverage on a bunch of top guys. So, subscribe to Dogs 24/7. If you're watching on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, we appreciate you wherever it is that you're watching. If you're listening on Apple podcast or Spotify, we greatly appreciate you there as well. Please like or subscribe. Give us five-star reviews wherever it is that you watch or listen. We very much appreciate you. This will be the only episode of the week. So, we will be back next week. Unfortunately for everybody that's watching or listening, Jordan will be back with us next week. So, you will have to get your Jordan Hill fix within a week's time. Um but we're looking forward to having him back in all seriousness so that we can, you know, have some structure, have a have an adult in the room. You know, Kip and I like to be able to just freewheel it on these shows. Jordan provides a little bit more keeping us on the track. So, thank you for everybody for watching and listening. Thank you, Kip. And we will see everybody next time. Show notes: Ben and Kipp break down what has happened in spring practice so far, react to Kirby Smart's latest rants, and discuss a lot of transfer portal activity for Georgia basketball. 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